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Congratulations to the 2001 World Champion, Brian Cappelletto!

Back to WSC 2001 Live Coverage: Profiles

WSC 2001 Player Profile: Dan Laurentiu Sandu

See how this player is doing at the WSC.

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Dan Laurentiu Sandu comes to the 2001 WSC as a champion in three languages: Romanian, English, and French. He's been a SCRABBLE® player for almost 15 years, but in English "only since 1995." His first language is Romanian, his second English, and although he wins championships in French, he admits to lacking fluency.

Hailing from a city of 3,000,000, the 32-year-old electrical engineer is the president of the SCRABBLE® section of "The Engine" Bucharest, where he is a Master of Sports in SCRABBLE® play (only six others can claim this distinction in his home country of Romania).

Since 1996, no one in his country has beaten Sandu in English SCRABBLE® games, which means that he's won the last six English championships undefeated!

This year, Sandu was named the vice-champion of his country in the French SCRABBLE® play. He's won the Cup of Romania two times with his team and once individually. He won the pairs National Championship in 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1999. "Mr. SCRABBLE®", Sandu has three times been named Romanian and French SCRABBLE® champs and four times English champ.

"I have great plays, most of them are in Romanian. For example, I (once played) ADJUVANT (like in English!) for 284 points. In English, I am proud of a ENDORSES of 131 points," writes Sandu. However, his most proud moment came in a Romanian game where he scored 840 points!

Sandu describes Romanian SCRABBLE® games as having three modes: duplicate, composition, and anticipation. Duplicate SCRABBLE® games require players to get the same racks as other players and make the best moves, composition SCRABBLE® games are where certain preordered tiles are assigned and players try to make the most points from those tiles (sometimes by making more that one play), and anticpation SCRABBLE® games are much like the way we play SCRABBLE® at the WSC, free-flowing from beginning to end.

Usually studying for "at least three hours per day," Sandu finds the computer most helpful in improving his game. Financially speaking, his attendance this year came about by sponsorship from "town hall, the government, the club, and some friends." He thanks them very much.

Sandu's two goals go hand in hand: make a profession out of SCRABBLE® play and see the day when Romanian SCRABBLE® play has a World Championship, too!

Attending only as an observer in 1995, Sandu has played in the 1997 and 1999 WSCs. As for the 2001 WSC, Dan's goals are realistic. He wants to finish "in the top half of the classification."

HASBRO is the owner of the registered SCRABBLE® trademark in the United States and Canada. © 2001 HASBRO. All rights reserved. "SCRABBLE® Brand Crossword Game" is the proper way to refer to this unique group of word games and related properties marketed by HASBRO. "SCRABBLE®" is not a generic term. To use it as such is not only misleading but also does injustice to the company responsible for the trademark's longtime popularity. All we ask is that when you mean SCRABBLE® Brand Crossword Game, you say so. 

The SCRABBLE® trademark is owned by J.W. Spear and Sons, PLC, a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. outside of the United States and Canada. 

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